Combined trolley track and hanger



Sept. 29, 1931. HOFFMAN I COMBINED TROLLEY TRACK AND HANGER Filed June 6, 1923 lttifililgs Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED; STATES PATENT oFFIcE g PETER L. HOFFMAN; OF AURORA, ILLINJIS, ASSIGNOR T0 RICHARDS-VJIILCOX MANU:

FACTURING COMPANY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, AICOEPORATION OF ILLINOIS overhead tracks.

COMBINED TROLLEY TRACK AND HANGER Application filed June e, 1928. Serial No. 233,320.

The present invention relates to improve ments in combined trolley tracks and hangers and method of making the same.

These combined trolley traclrs and hang- 2 ers are adapted for use with doors or other closure devices suspended from overhead points of support, such as the sliding doors of garages and the likewhich are hung from trolleys adapted to roll back and forth in Such tracks are usually supported by means of brackets which are formed separately from the track sections, and which suitably clamp around the track section and support the same on the frame of the doorway. The object of the present com letel avoids the ex )ense of seoaratel T P y l l 3 punching out and shaping the hanger brackets. Moreover, it avoids all of the inconveniences and delays incident to obtaining hanger brackets of the proper size to match the track section, and the keeping of difierent sized hanger brackets in stock.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the combined trolley track and hanger,

I and method of forming the same:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the combined track section and hanger in its completed form;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the track section and hanger, illustrating its mounting on a door frame;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the sheet metal blank from which the track section is formed, illustrating the first step in the forming operation;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating the second forming operation; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the next succeeding forming operation.

Referring to the drawings, 6 indicates a portion of the track section as a whole,

which in the illustrated construction is somewhat like an inverted U, the base of said U forming the upper part of the track section and being indicated at 7, while the front and rear side walls thereof are indi-. cated at 8 and 8'. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side walls 8 are provided at their lower edges with inwardly extending flanges 9, said flanges being spaced apart, as shown at 10, to form a slot through which is adapted to pass the rod or other part of the trolley or hanger from which the door is suspended. Said flanges 9 are preferably provided with upturned lips 11, forming channels at either side of the slot 10, in which channels the trolley wheels travel. The contour of the track section may be modified in various respects without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The track section is adapted to be supported by means of a hanger lug 12, which is stamped out of one of the side walls 8 of the track section, as shown, which hanger lug after being stamped out is bent upwardly through an angle of 180 degrees so as to extend at an angle of approximately 90 degrees from the upper wall 7 of the track section and in. a plane removed slightly inwardly or rearwardly fromthe rear wall 8 but substantially parallel thereth, such i11- wardly or rearwardly extending offset of the hanger lug being indicated at 12in Fig. 2.

Said hanger lug 12 is provided with suitable. opening 13therein through which a 7 Screw or bolt 14 is adapted to be passed for'securing the track section to the wall'l5 of the building or other structure wher it is desired to support the track.

Punched outwardly from the same side 'wall 8 from which the hanger lug 12 is punched, but at a lower point in said wall. is a teat-like'projection 16 which serves to hold the rear wall 8' of the track removed from the building wall or facing ofthe door frame, so that water cannot accumulate between the track and the wall, where it would tend to rot the wood of said door frame and to rust the track. The inwardly extending offset 12 of the hanger lug12 results in the hanger lug holding the upper portion of the track section spaced outwardly from the door frame.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, which illustrate the various steps in the method of forming the track, it will be seen that the track section is formed from a sheet metal blank of suitable length and thickness, the first step being to punch or blank out the hanger lug l2 and the hole 13 therein, the result of this operation being illustrated in Fig. 3. The next step is the forming of the flanges 9 provided with the lips 11, and the result of this operation is shown in Fig. 4. Following this the hanger lug 12 is turned up at an angle of 90 degrees to the top surface of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 5. The sheet is then shaped to the form shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates the completed track section and hanger.

It will be understood that several hanger lugs 12 will be punched out at spaced points along the track section for providing several points of support therefor. I; should be noted that by punching these hanger lugs out of the back wall 8 there are no open ings left in the top wall 7 through which foreign matter might fall in upon the track flanges, and the outward appearance of the track is not defaced.

I claim:

1. A trolley track for sliding doors consisting of a sheet metal stamping of inverted substantially U-shaped cross-section, and having a hanger portion punched out from the back wall of the track portion and extending upwardly beyond the top wall thereof, said hanger portion being offset rearwardly from the plane of the back wall of the track portion to space said back wall from the supporting structure on which the track is mounted.

2. A trolley track for sliding doors consisting of a sheet metal stamping of inverted substantially U-shaped cross-section, and having a hange portion punched out from the back wall of the track portion and extending upwardly beyond the top wall thereof, said back wall having a projection punched rearwardly therefrom, and said hanger portion being offset rearwardly from the plane of said back wall and cooperating with said projection to space said back wall from the supporting structure on which the track is mounted.

8. A trolley track for sliding doors con sisting of a sheet metal stamping of inverted substantially U-shaped cross-section, and having a hanger port-ion punched out from the back wall of the track portion and extending upwardly beyond the top wall thereof, said hanger portion being offset rearwardly from the plane of the back wall of the track portion, the back wall of said track portion having means for cooperation with said offset hanger portion to space said back wall from the supporting structure on which the track is mounted.

PETER L. HOFFMAN. 

